Nurarihyon, after the battle
by Medusa's Hairdresser
Summary: Rikuo meets with the Kiyo Cross Squad after the latest battle...Time to see if a friendship can survive...I always rate my stories "T"
1. Chapter 1

'Rikuo! I'm so glad you're okay!' Ienaga Kana exclaimed without thinking as Rikuo entered the room used for the Kiyo Cross squad.

After the battle Rikuo had dissapeared from her sight as the yokai he was. The angry cries from the villagers had resounded in her ears, crying for his blood. He, the guy who was supposed to be the cause for all the trouble as predicted by the Kudan. Those who had lost their loved ones to the all-devouring yokai screamed even harder, now the direct receiver of their anger had dissappeared. Even those unaware of the prophecy linked him to the aweful creature they saw minutes ago. Nothing had been reported on the news of course, the many tragic deaths remained mostly unexplained but for some kind of mass-terrorist attack. The few alive who had witnessed the whole thing closeby didn't believe that, but they were said to suffer from hallucinations, and never appeared in public. The ones standing far enough went with the public explanation, and strenghtened their hatred to anything foreign.

Rikuo had remained missing for a few days, but it was as if no one knew what to think, so they just didn't. Kiyotsugi received many e-mails from people who saw things and some who knew of the prediction, but they were shared with no one outside the squad. Yura was back too, but she said not to speak until Rikuo decided whether to show himself again. The meeting before they had already decided to capture the yokai known as Nurarihyon's grandson, to extract answers and then...probably let him meet his end. Yokai are a grave danger and there is no reason to trust them. The fact that he had deceived them was proof enough for them.

'Aren't you scared?' Rikuo answered with some sort of half-assed, cheeky smile. As he set another step forward, he stepped on the boundary made by the other members of the squad under Yura's supervision. Along with strong ropes a seal was placed right on his chest.

The attack had come and ended so quickly that Kana had had hardly time to blink. Rikuo, however, stood there just the same as before, only for a second the edges of his smile had wavered before returning to a somewhat gentle smile. In the attack Torii and Maki had come out first, second were Kiyotsugi and Shima and last was Yura, to place the seal. Kana was stupified, she had not been part of the plan, she only knew that Rikuo was going to be "interrogated", but, being a friend still, how could anyone expect something like this? The door was locked behind him and he was fully restrained now and surrounded. Each of the squad (except Kana) carried a weapon though only to be used if neccesary.

'So...Exorcism..' 'Shut up yokai!' Maki yelled. 'We all heard the Kudan's prediction, and Ienaga saw you transform!' Rikuo's eyes flickered to Kana for a moment and then left for the next person speaking, ahem, yelling at him. Kiyotsugu was the next to join in.

'You were trying to trick us all along, weren't you? So you intend to destroy all of us? Just try it!' Ready to do whatever it took to stop Rikuo, who wasn't moving yet. The only thing that changed was that his smile had grown colder, but still present. Being smiled on while treatening Kiyotsugu lifted up his weapon, a bat wih seals wrapped around it. Even Kana got a weapon pushed into her hands by Shima. Seeing that, Rikuo felt his blood boil.

Without hestitaion he broke free of the ropes and ripped the seal of in doing so. The bat was flung in his direction as he was breaking free and just as the seal ripped, the bat struck him in the chest.

Falling backwards he evaded the next strikes from both Shima and Maki, mistaking his anger for anger at them and fearing death the whole time. For them, their former friend had become the embodiment of fear.

'Stop this' Rikuo said. The seemingly young boy emitted an air of the supreme commander he descended from. He now stood right before them, his hands held out to show them he was unarmed. Even so, a sickle on a chain was flung at him from behind the others. The face of the person who trew it was streaked with tears 'All you did was just pretend to be our friend wasn't it! You are just a fake! What did you and to gain by deceiving us!' Kana screamed, her voice faltering. The sickle went right trough him, dissolving the illusion.

'This is what our friendship has become, hasn't it?' A familiar voice spoke from nowhere 'It really is a sad realisation to find out what this world has come down too, surely knowing it is all being blamed on me...' Rikuo appeared out of nowhere, his hair had grown longer and he looked more like his nightform though the sun had not set yet. 'Kana-chan, Maki-chan, Torii-chan, Yura-chan, Kiyotsugu-kun and Shima-kun' he looked each of them in the eye as he spoke 'I did not come here to silence you, nor do I want to harm you in any way. I have never intended to use our friendship for something...' The cold smile dissappeared and his tone changed to something befitting his age 'I am a human and wanted to live as one for now...' His voice quivered slightly 'I thought.. ah well, I'm not sure why I even came here today..didn't think, maybe _hope_, that you would actually attack me.. You really went out of your way, eh? You even trew a Kusarigama at me, Kana? So I scared you didn't I?' He turned to leave 'I wouldn't say anything if I were you..if you don't want to end up at an asylum'


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you reviewers and people who put my story on their alerts list! You made my day, night and morning!

Wow, chapter 1 was first read by someone in MEXICO! Great! Awesome! My idle words spread to the other side of the country, floating on Nurarihyons wings (so it's not quite my victory, but I like it anyway). Just moments (or maybe hours) later the story was added as a FAVORITE. Wow, weird night I'm having...wait a sec...it's morning already. Oh, and the Kusarigama I mentioned is some sort of sickle on a chain with a weight at the end (ouch)

_'I thought.. ah well, I'm not sure why I even came here today..didn't think, maybe hope, that you would actually attack me.. You really went out of your way, eh? You even trew a Kusarigama at me, Kana? So I scared you didn't I?' He turned to leave 'I wouldn't say anything if I were you..if you don't want to end up at an asylum'_

Anger laced the kid's voice as his appearance was more like a demon's than ever. A faint hint of desperation wasn't noticed by anyone.

'Just remember this: did I ever harm you? Did I ever curse at you, hit you or kick you? Did I ever steal from you?...Some youkai far exceed the humans in the matters I just named, but none of them would that easily abandon a friend' And from here he walked away, Tsurara joining him as soon as he left the classroom. None looked back but they heard him say almost unhearable to not mention this to "the others".

'Rikuo wait!' Yura shouted, the first time she opened her mouth. She had not participated in the attack nor had she told anyone what she knew. Yura had wanted to explain it all together with Rikuo, but she never got the chance. The group was fired up after hearing the news about Rikuo, and they would never have agreed to an explanation. If she had mentioned that, they'd probably atttack her too, in fear of her being possesed by the demon.

'Are you I D I O T S?' The group stared at her with shocked eyes, before Kiyotsugu broke the momentary silence 'You should know! As an onmiouyi, it's your job to exterminate youkai!...' 'Yeah! But that idiot just now was our friend!'

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The hundred tales group was not uprooted yet, though some of their tales had been lost. Since the incident the clan had been keeping low profile and no other sightings of youkai had been registered. Since the youkai did not appear on film, only those who were there stuck too their story, until eventually they either got shushed or went on a little "vacation". Still, the youkai had not dissapeared yet. Each night the infamuos Nura Rikuo patrolled the street, along with his Hyakki. The same thing the Kiyo Cross Squad did, by far not as merry as before. This time, they were not just on a Youkai hunt, no, they were once again looking for one specific youkai. But they couldn't find him.

'Master, they are after you, you shouldn't go to them!' Tsurara whispered so Rikuo's other companions wouldn't hear it. Not that the discretion was really needed, since most of them had wandered off a bit in all directions. Their 'fear' had greatly increased, especcially Nura's, there were not many youkai left with the guts to attack them, and they never feared the humans. 'You guys can go back first. I'll be home shortly.'

After a little protest about him touring the streets alone while both the youkai and humans were after him and a lot of reassurances and promises from his side, the youkai dissappeared into the night. And so did Rikuo, simply dissappearing from sight. He walked behind them all night, though Yura noticed his presence, she couldn't find him. Oddly enough, the group was never attacked; because of their invisible friend, without their knowledge.

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'Nice to see that Nura-kun finally decided to join us again' The teacher said with a few bulging veins on her forehead. 'Also very nice of your grandpa not to call you sick and deny anyone acces at the door'

Rikuo scratched the back of his head with an apologetic expression, but said nothing and went to his seat, to great suprise of the squad members. And to great annoyance of the teacher. Sure, it's a good kid, but dammit! Annoyance to no end wtih that family of his.

Many classmates stole glances, but no one spoke but the teacher. Didn't matter anyway, since whoever looked at the kid was ignored.

Said "kid" now felt someone tugging at his sleeve. He knew who, and he'd give anything to just look back and smile, but that was just not possible. They'd have to drag him from his chair if they wanted him to aknowledge them.

'Rikuo..rikuo, please just listen...' Kana kept trying to get his attention, but after being reprimanded by the teacher she gave up, and sat quietly in her seat. The others didn't, and kept trying to get his attention. Shima was sent out of the classroom and as the teacher dragged him out, even more pieces of paper were added to the growing pile on Rikuo's desk. Looking at those, though not wanting to know it's contents, Rikuo was quick to ask for a bathroom break.

When he came back, his eyes were obscured by his hair. No one dared to bother him anymore, but there was one note folded out on his desk, clear for everyone to read "Just explain it to them! -Yura".

'Teachhheeer! Teachhhheeer! Keikan-san sent Nura a looooooooooove-letter!'

At that the note was conficated and trown away. Yura got detention.

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'...the Kudan, you heard it right..' '...Yeah. Unbelievable right?...' '..Oh, but that is such a nice kid! He helped me with this-and-that...' '..hard to believe he did that' 'Truly! Don't believe me? You see, a friend said his brother had seen him being attacked by yakuza-like people! And here he is, just fine, while they got wounded..' 'No way! I heard they were burned and there were bitemarks on the remains..' '...I heard there were no remains but for the blood, and the whole building was demolished..' '...This is just a government plot I tell you!...'

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I'm working on it now, but let's just go ahead and let you read it. Oh, and they are mean because they're scared, but now they're sorry...Next might be more action-packed (don't make promises, but I'll try my best)


	3. Chapter 3

!0 day hiatus. I'll be back on August 16th. Next chapter won't be so mean on the group, I don't hate them or something, it was just... it's my story. You'll see how it plays out, hope you like it.


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